The present invention relates to a soil sampling device and, more particularly, to a self contained volatile soil sampling device for measuring a sample of soil in the field.
Generally there are two approved ways for collecting soil samples for volatile soil analysis: A sealed soil sampling device method and methanol preservation method. Off-site testing requires a soil sample to be preserved so that accurate testing can be later accomplished at an off-site laboratory. Typically, a sample of soil is taken and enclosed in a container. The container is sealed to retain the volatile compounds in the soil and then transported to the off-site laboratory where the soil sample can be tested.
In contrast, methanol preservation requires a sample of soil to be weighed and placed into a sample jar. A controlled amount of pure methanol is measured in a graduated cylinder and poured into the sample jar. The sample jar is then shaken for two minutes and prepared for shipping to an off-site laboratory. In this manner, the volatile compounds in the soil are preserved by the methanol. Typically, a second sample jar is filled with another sample of the soil which is forwarded along with the first sample to the off-site laboratory and is used to determine the dry weight of the soil. Consequently, the on-site preservation procedure analysis requires weighing the soil and measuring methanol which results in a relatively labor intensive process.
More recently, methanol ampoules have been produced which provide a fixed volume of the methanol, thus eliminating the need to measure out the methanol. However, heretofore, such simple measuring devices for soil are not available. Consequently, there is a need for a simple soil sampling device which permits accurate measurement of a soil sample without the need for a weighing device and, further, provides a simple quick method of measuring with fewer steps and fewer components than heretofore known.